The present invention relates to pallets upon which materials are stacked for storage and transportation.
Pallets are used as a method of handling materials in large quantities. Pallets typically comprise a flat surface for supporting containers or packages a sufficient distance from the floor to permit the tines of the lift truck forks to be inserted under them so that the pallet supporting the load can be moved from place to place. Pallets used for this purpose are fabricated from wood, metal, plastic, or combinations thereof. Conventional pallets fabricated from these materials are expensive to make and use due to the cost of the materials, cost of construction, and cost of disposal. Usually these conventional types of pallets have to be returned after the shipment to the shipper for reuse or the pallets had to be disposed of in a proper manner. Deposal of the conventional wood and nail pallets is a problem after exposure to chemical or biochemical materials which contaminate the pallet in that not all of the pallet materials of construction are destructible by incineration and often must be disposed in a hazardous waste landfill which is inconvenient and expensive.
The present invention eliminates several of the disadvantages associated with the use of permanent pallets. The present invention is comprised of inexpensive materials such as corrugated board or paperboard and an adhesive such as glue all of which may be generally recognized as safe, "GRAS", by the Food and Drug Administration, "FDA", so that they are recyclable, disposable in sanitary landfills, and inexpensive to manufacture. The corrugated pallet of the present invention is also easy to dispose of in case of contamination due to product spills or damage because all of the materials of construction are biodegradable and/or can be incinerated without further disassembly, yet they are reusable for many purposes. The corrugated pallets are light in weight and have great structural strength. Thus, the corrugated pallets of the instant invention are especially suited for assembly line work for containing or supporting parts which must be supported or stacked in that the worker need not have to handle the weight of a traditional wood and nail pallet. Moreover, the manufacturer does not have the expense of providing a light weight plastic pallet which are usually too costly to use for operations requiring disposal or destruction of the pallet due to contamination.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a disposable and recyclable corrugated pallet of the lowest possible cost while maximizing its strength and durability.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable pallet capable of manufacture solely from lightweight sheet material such as corrugated board and an adhesive.
It is an object of the present invention to provide leg support members comprised of corrugated material to support the pallet high enough above a surface to accommodate the tines of a fork lift.
It is another object of the present invention to construct the pallet with the supporting members being positioned to dissipate the weight of the load on the pallet evenly.
It is yet another object to construct the pallet so that it will sustain loads to which it is subjected and not fold or bend sideways in movement or shipment.